The Greyhorn Ravens: Sundering

Out of the Cage and Into the Fire

Rewards for this Session

None.

The session began with the Greyhorn Ravens having been captured by the elven war band. Taken away to their extensive tree-house network of interconnected platforms and swing bridges, the adventurers were locked in an ironwood cage which was then hoisted 300ft into the air by rope and pulley, to hang on an tree bough high above the forest floor. Four days and three nights they sat in that cage, ignored by their captors and left to die.. kept alive only by water conjured by Delia and Arc. On the fourth night, starving and exhausted, the group were awoken by two elves who introduced themselves as Sharliah and Orlenstar.

Orlenstar, a monk and a member of a group called the Prime Guardians – seers of a sort – looked upon the adventurers with eyes of shining white and confirmed to Sharliah that they were not “kopru in disguise”.

Sharliah, an elven woman of surpassing beauty and with a sincere and noble air about her, explained that the elven lands were in straits most dire – threatened by a war-like race from the Far Realm called the kopru, who sought invade the Prime Material Plane by tearing open a crossroads portal – a natural rift between the planes. The portal lay within the Baeilonn azer compound within the Tanaroa volcano, and in it’s natural state it can only transport a handful of people to the otherside at a time before travel from that side stops working for a few days. The kopru had fashioned a ritual circle on the Far Realm side of the portal, and for years they had tried to create a similar circle on the Prime Material side – a requirement for their ritual to tear the portal open wide enough for an army – but elven commandos lead by Prime Guardians such as Orlenstar had eliminated the kopru each time. Sharliah said that the kopru were warriors who also had mastery over psychic powers and could turn invisible at will, but the Prime Guardians possessed True Sight and could identify invisible kopru before the insidious invaders could finish their ritual circle.

To try and destroy the elves through other means, the kopru had sent a provocateur named Thraxxis who had slain many of the native azer and impicated the elves in these crimes, causing the Baeilonn azer to declare war on the Tintageer elves. This made it more difficult for the elves to make their way into the compound and destroy the kopru ritualists, costing many lives.

Foreseeing the Greyhorn Ravens arrival at the volcano, Thraxxis disguised himself as a travelling adventurer and was invited into the Tintageer compound. He then assassinated the elf lord’s wife Lythana, causing Lord Durothil to become mad with grief and paranoia. When the Greyhorn Ravens arrived, Durothil ordered them to be locked up, treated as enemies of the realm and never to be spoken to.

With enemies on all sides and no resources to stop this very real threat to the realms, Sharliah and Orlenstar believed that the Tintageer elves needed the assistance of such a diverse and skilled band of adventurers now more than ever. Ein had misgivings about fighting their battle out of the goodness of his heart, so Sharliah declared that if they could not stop the kopru, the insidious creatures would surely succeed and conquer the sword coast. She stated that it was the obligation of all goodly creatures to oppose such tyranny, but still Ein refused. Taking a different tact, Sharlaih then assured him that the elves and azer would be most generous with their reward once the portal was closed and the kopru threat ended. Unanimously, the Greyhorn Ravens then agreed to help.

Orlenstar and Sharliah hatched a plan for the Ravens to sneak into the Baeilonn compound, go through the portal, locate the device the kopru would use to tear open the crossroads, then bring it back to the elves so they could use it to close the crossroads portal instead. However, as the group made their way up the volcano to the azer compound they were ambushed by Lord Durothil and two score of his legionnaires. The elf lord declared Sharliah and Orlenstar be arrested for treason and the Greyhorn Ravens to be locked up in their cage once again. Ein tried to reason with Durothil, but he was too blinded by grief from the recent death of his wife; his pride too great to accept help or to tolerate disobedience and so, the battle was met.

Ein and Durothil had traded several blows in honorable single combat, and Ein found that Durothil’s armor appeared to heal wounds, while his sword had the ability to become white hot and slice through Ein’s plate armor like it was ply wood. Orlenstar flew into the fray against Durothil’s lieutenants, his ripped muscles flexing as the shirtless warrior sent two elves into total disarray with a flurry of punches, elbows and kicks. The battle raged for but a few short seconds however, before it was broken up by an azer war band charging over the ridge and straight down into the elven ranks. Balls of flaming pitch and explosive crashed onto the field and set the very earth ablaze. One fireball landed squarely between Ein, Durothil and Orlenstar, and as Ein rubbed the ash from his blurry eyes and got up off the ground he saw the elven monk fly through the flames to grab him by the collar. Orlenstar urged Ein to follow Helix and Sharliah in retreat. Durothil’s elves were completely routed and likewise fell back.

In the confusion the Ravens made their way into the azer compound and located the crossroads. Sharliah then used a Word of Recall to teleport back to the Tintageer encampment where she would likely be imprisoned and tried for treason against her brother, Lord Durothil.

Once through to the other side of the portal, the adventurers fought with two kopru ritualists – weak but wily mages with the power to mentally dominate a foe into doing their bidding – and their guardian behemoths – kopru imbued with massive strength and given magical rock-like skin.

The kopru realm was out of this world, literally. There was no atmosphere, just sections of slate grey rock formations with a network of tunnels connecting the various sections, in a great asteroid floating through space, while high above flew flying stone fortresses that appeared to levitate under their own power.

Orlenstar had an amulet around his neck that appeared to issue a translation in any listeners ear, of any language uttered in it’s presence. This allowed the group to understand the kopru and vice versa. The kopru guarding the portal entrance were arrogant and thought to destroy the intruders and take their loot for themselves without sharing it with their commander, “General Nartulu”.

After defeating the kopru, wIth the information Fideo had ensorcelled from the ritualist with a charm of suggestion, the Ravens were able to draw a crude map of the area which showed them where they needed to go to accomplish their task in locating the Planar Manipulator. The next thing the Ravens saw was a great army being drilled for combat, amassed in a nearby basin. Here, stealth and swiftness would be key.

The Greyhorn Ravens greeted a dewy spring morning before setting off on their trek for the center island volcano to seek the old ruins and the native azer and wood elves who live nearby.

Along the way, kelemvite priest Delia Evenhand found her true calling as a commander of lesser beings as she rebuked a hunting party of neanderthals into doing her every bidding. Worshipping her as their new god, the primitives followed Delia and acted as her new lackeys. One of the 6 warriors under her service was not long for this world, however, as a few hours later he became a cautionary tale about the danger of a stirge swarm.

A clan of troglodytes appeared fresh from a successful raid, having recently slain a band of neanderthals for food, and carrying a large number of semiprecious gems which were likely stolen, as the evil lizard men had yet to bring the jewels to their lair. Shriek’s Fog Cloud put the enemy in a bad position to face their attackers on fair terms, and in a blaze of glory Arc made short work of them with his new druid incantation, Call Lightning.

Carnivorous monkeys surprised Arc later that day, but it was all they could do to the agile dragonborn as he expertly dodged their every attack until his allies arrived to clear the murderous beasts shortly after. Ein and his new ankylosaurus mount were a force to be reckoned with.

It was two days trek since the group left the phanaton territory before they reached the base of the volcano, however their curiosity about what mysteries lay inside the volcano would have to wait. As the group approached the mountain they fell swiftly into the silent and deadly hands of the elven warband they had heard about earlier. The skill of these elves was apparent, as their ambush was executed with flawless precision. The Ravens were forced to surrender or face certain death, and so, with their hands tied and weapons confiscated (except Ein’s, which he dismisses when not in combat) the Greyhorn Ravens were captured by the elite elven patrol unit.

Allosaurus rumble

Rewards for this Session:

Thanks to the efforts of Regan and Mri at the table, everyone’s characters gain a level up. You’re now all level 5. Grab your character sheets from the link here and level them up using the Classes PDF, then Facebook message me the character sheet file if you need it printed.
Now that I’ve made your sheets up I won’t be managing them anymore except printing them when you ask me to.https://www.dropbox.com/sh/34521rn6rt282x8/Ev-QIYdgDx

Recap

With an unconscious ankylosaurus at their feet, the Ravens discussed whether it would be feasible for Ein to train it as his mount. Suddenly they were interrupted by a hiss and a growl rumbling through the trees at the edge of the clearing. A giant and deadly allosaurus peered through with predatory eyes. The beast towered over the adventurers at over 20 ft in height even when it hunched low to charge.. and charge it did, but was met immediately by Forgemaw, the great axe wielded by Vangardehast Maclane. The pirate captain leapt through the air and struck true with perfect precision, slicing once through the great lizards neck and then rotating mid-air in a full spin to cleave again and separate the dinosaur’s neck head from it’s body completely.

With a howl of grief and anger three more allosaurus’ leapt from their flanking position on the opposite side. The adventurers found they had slain the mother, while the father and two youngsters had readied themselves to ambush the group as they turned to face her. The 3 remaining predators charged and surrounded the group and the battle was met in full. The father put up much more of a fight than it’s mate, and Fideo was nearly slain in it’s opening attack, but Delia saved the bard with a timely healing prayer as he lay at deaths door.

The great lizards were finally slain after a tense and strategic fight by the Greyhorn Ravens. Vangardehast pointed out that with the area devastated from the dinosaurs’ combined rampage it appeared to be fully clear of any other dangerous creatures, and so with night only a few hours away and the ankylosaurus soon to awake from it’s slumber, the group decided they would set up camp for the night and cook the allosaurus brood for a hearty dinner.

When the ankylosaurus awoke, Fideo nursed it with a portion of delicious herbs imbued with magical curatives to further purge the toxins from it’s system, leaving the creature feeling revived and cared for. The group then combined their efforts to convince the creature to become an ally, and with his wilderness ways, Arc fashioned a makeshift harness for Ein to use to mount the beast.

As the camp was set Ein – who had previously believed that he had no access to divine spells after being cut off by his now-silent patron deity Kelemvor – spent the time to meditate on why it was that he was able to use his prayer of command to force the ankylosaurus to cease it’s rampage. Ein had uttered the prayer in the heat of the moment without thinking, and it was the first time he had attempted a divine spell since Kelemvor visited him in his dreams and said that as penance for dying in service, Ein would be cut off from using spells until he sacrificed his closest friend. Until the moment he stood face to face with an armored, berzerk dinosaur he hadn’t even thought to test his divine magic to see if it still functioned.

With the help of Fideo and Delia, Ein drew divine symbols in the earth and lit incense, casting himself into a ritual of divine prayer and insight into his deeper self. There, within his heart of hearts he found a hidden presence, an interloper who had possessed him; Arcturas Diamondeath, the last of the evil Diamondeath dwarf clan, who was slain by Ein’s hand in the name of Kelemvor during the dwarven blackguard’s ritual of undeath.

Ein pushed the possessing spirit from him using the strength of his ritual circle and his connection to Kelemvor was restored. The avenger then searched deeper, deeper, far into the realms of his inner self and traced the fleeing spirit of Arcturas back to his benefactor, a mighty pit fiend in the fiery reaches of the Abyss. Ein deduced that if the attemted deception to convince Ein to betray his friends and fall into darkness was brought on by the pit fiend to bring the Kelemvite paladin low, then the pit fiend may also be answering to a higher power such as the evil deities Asmodeus, Bane, Ghaunadaur, or Lolth.

With Ein’s resolve stronger than ever, the companions felt renewed confidence in their leader and their quest to seek the hidden treasures rumoured to be located in Tanaroa’s center volcano, where the Baeilonn clan of azer and a cloistered, secretive elven clan had fought an ancient war.

Troglogytes, bats and dinosaurs

Rewards for this Episode:

450 XP each from quests and encounters
1,000 ep, 3,000 gp, and six large amethyst geodes (500 gp each). As per the Greyhorn Ravens charter, all currency gained is kept in a single hoard to be used for the good of the group, and requests for withdrawal are approved by majority vote. Every so often Fideo or Ein dish out allowances so the members have money for living expenses.

Recap:

After defeating a tribe of troglodytes on the beach, the Greyhorn Ravens headed inland towards the great volcano and rumoured lost city.

With Shriek’s navigation skills and Vangardehast drawing a map, the group had no trouble navigating their way through the jungle over the next few hours of travel. During the trek, they witnessed the flight of a green dragon flying high above, headed towards the east.

After a few miles the adventurers encountered a treetop city made by a tribe of phanatons – small winged fey humanoids with a warrior culture. After bit of a tense diplomatic encounter, Ein negotiated an alliance and safe passage through the phanatons 6 square miles of territory, taking the group further south towards the volcano.

The fey gave a little information about the surrounding area as they escorted the Ravens south:

The dragon is an ancient green dragon named Evermelt. Shriek has had some experience dealing with dragons and advised that green dragons spit acid. All chromatic (coloured) dragons are universally evil while conversely, metallic dragons are universally good. Green dragons in particular love to torment and play with their victims sadistically, and they are jealous of other creatures who have expensive, shiny treasures. All dragons hoard gold, gems and magic items, and their hoards are the stuff of legend. To fight a dragon, however, is practically suicide for all but the most skilled warriors.

There are two factions in and around the volcano in the center of the island. The Baeilonn are a clan of azer – fiery dwarf elementals – and their enemies on the far side of the island are a clan of wood elves. The Baeilonn live in homes formed of rock and brass and wield fiery weapons. The phanaton leader didn’t say the name of the elf clan, so perhaps this is an indication that these elves keep to themselves. Apparently long ago during the start of the spellplague (a massive, chaotic event brought about by the death of Mystra, goddess of magic) the elves, azer and phanatons were transported through the planes to this island. The planes overlap each other, and sometimes where the veil between worlds is thin, creatures pass through. The spellplague made these thin sections – called “crossroads” – particularly vulnerable.

While the adventurers rested up and enjoyed the phanatons’ hospitality, the Ravens’ bard and alchemist Fideo Leonardi caught up to the group. Now fully assembled, the Ravens then traveled south with their phanaton escort. Some time after exiting the fey-protected lands and bidding their new allies farewell, the group came across the destruction wrought by a large creature crashing through the jungle. Tracking the path of destruction was all too easy, and soon the adventurers encountered the creature responsible; a rampaging ankylosaurus. Shriek identified that the beast had eaten a poisonous plant that had induced the rage. Through the use of Ein’s Command spell and some improvisation and bardic magic, the group managed to safely subdue the creature and it fell to the ground, exhausted and unconscious. Ein started to consider ways to make the beast his mount, but then there was a rustle from the trees nearby, and the group turned to see an allosaurus peek through at it’s prey before charging.

The Legend of Yuirdendas Diamondeath-————————————————————————————-
Dwarfholme – a city known to some outsiders by it’s old human name Dawn Gate, before it was resettled by it’s ancestral founders, the Torgarsaxe dwarf clan – recently had one of it’s most treasured artifacts, the warhammer Goldbludgeon, stolen by bandits. The Greyhorn Ravens took up the job of locating the hammer, only to find the weapon would be the key in an evil plot by the dwarf blackguard Arcturas Diamondeath.
The dark paladin was the great great great great great grandson of Yuirdendas Diamondeath, a traitor to his own clan who attained power through deals with fiends from the abyss and turned his whole clan mad with dark magic before warrior hero Graros Torgarsaxe slew the mage and lead the charge to purge the corrupted Diamondeath clan from the land.
The Ravens tried to stop Arcturas, but alas they were too late, and he succeeded in resurrecting the spirits of his old ancestors. Before the evil paladin could gain control over his new powers he was slain by the Greyhorn Ravens, at the cost of their leader’s life.
The paladin Samos decided to keep the hammer Goldbludgeon for himself, deeming the weapon too fine to give back to the Torgarsaxe clan, as they had gotten so fat and lazy in their recent generations that they could not even muster the strength of force to retrieve the weapon by themselves.
Ein was resurrected, but in a dream he was visited by his god Kelemvor, who bade him to sacrifice his closest friend if he wished to be blessed with divine magic once more.-————————————————————————————-
The Explorer’s Journal -————————————————————————————-
When the Greyhorn Ravens left the town of Dwarfholme on their pilgrimage, High Priest Aedurin gave Ein an old record book, signed with the initials “RB.”
The book describes a journey to a mysterious island (including compass bearings and coordinates) and a sketched map of the coastline.
The map shows a few inland features, including a path to a friendly village called Tanaroa. RB’s notes describe the settlement but warn that, although the natives of Tanaroa are open to trade, other inhabitants of the island are hostile and might be cannibals. According to the record, RB taught the friendly natives the common tongue.
The log goes on to speak of a huge barrier, called the Great Wall, that seals off the jungle lands beyond Tanaroa. The villagers call the farther territory the “Isle of Dread” and told RB of an ancient “city of the gods” in the center of the island. This city is rumored to be full of riches, including five perfect emeralds. Fierce and exotic monsters roam the jungle: enormous reptilian creatures, overgrown apes, and bizarre beings unknown in other lands. -————————————————————————————-
The Journey-————————————————————————————-
The journey to the island took 19 days, and as the group aboard Vangardehast’s ship “Black Lion” got closer to it, they saw many wonderous things. A huge bird – impossibly large, big enough to carry an elephant in one talon – flew through the clouds overhead, far above, casting a great shadow on the water. Mermaids or mermen could be seen in the water below, and a great whale surfaced briefly before a dire shark twice the whale’s size suddenly attacked it and darkened the water with the whale’s blood.
Pirates attacked, and Vangardehast lulled them into thinking the ship a trader’s vessel, before giving the command for the cannons to be loosed. Between the cannons, the Red Eye war mage, Vangardehast’s seasoned boarding crew and the Ravens, the two pirate vessels were broken and burning in a matter of minutes. Many pirates were allowed to escape, as Vangardehast observes the Pirate’s Code, allowing his enemy to reconsider their hostile stance towards the Red Eye crew.
The Ravens would later rescue a local ranger from the clutches of the very same pirates, killing several dozen of the scum in the process. Their leader – a shadowy figure who was heard but not seen – swore revenge.-————————————————————————————-
Harsh Lessons in the Wild-————————————————————————————-
It has been four months since the group made landfall on Tanaroa and many of their number have been killed by local threats, for after their healer Orange was devoured there was no recourse when poison or disease took hold. Fideo sent a seabird to deliver a message and after one month, new allies arrived.
Ein was still disturbed by the absence of his deity, but determined in his cause to serve the church of Kelemvor, he swore an oath; the treasures of the lost city would be found.

The adventure log is where you list the sessions and adventures your party has been on, but for now, we suggest doing a very light “story so far” post. Just give a brief overview of what the party has done up to this point. After each future session, create a new post detailing that night’s adventures.

One final tip: Don’t stress about making your Obsidian Portal campaign look perfect. Instead, just make it work for you and your group. If everyone is having fun, then you’re using Obsidian Portal exactly as it was designed, even if your adventure log isn’t always up to date or your characters don’t all have portrait pictures.